'Waterfall' flooding on busy Sheffield road blamed on faulty sewer

Heavy rainfall earlier this month sent water gushing down from the car park of Lidl's Heeley store onto Chesterfield Road, creating what stunned witnesses described as a waterfall and leaving motorists stranded.

Yorkshire Water says action is being taken to prevent a repeat of the dramatic scenes which unfolded on Sunday, August 4 - less than a year after a £3 million project to create a new bus lane, which involved works to the steep bank in question, was completed.

A spokesman for the utility firm said: "We have been on site to assess the assets on Chesterfield Road and have determined that work needs to be carried out to ensure the asset is running at optimal performance. This is a high priority job and will minimise the risk of future flooding.

"We are also carrying out a wider CCTV survey of main sewer on Chesterfield Road and the overflow sewer to ensure the area is free of obstructions. No issues are occurring now and all assets are working as they should. We have spoken with the manager of Lidl, so they are aware of our plans in the area."

Residents and shop keepers claimed there had been no such issues with flooding at the site before the roadworks took place.

Gleadless Valley ward councillor Paul Turpin, of the Green Party, raised the matter with Sheffield Council's streets contractor Amey.

He shared a response from Amey's customer services department, which stated: "We can confirm that the recent flooding issue at this location was due to an issue with a Yorkshire Water combined overflow chamber and sewer at the rear of the Lidl car park. This has been referred to Yorkshire Water to carry out an investigation....

"We can also confirm that we have arranged for the gullies in the surrounding area to be checked to ensure that water can drain away correctly. This will be undertaken within the next month."